


Temperature

by xanithofdragons



Series: The Dating Misadventures of High School-aged Natori and Matoba [2]
Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Pre-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 09:51:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11964927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanithofdragons/pseuds/xanithofdragons
Summary: Seiji could think of a lot of reasons why he took as much interest in Shuuichi as he did, but still, he felt like there was something more he was missing.





	Temperature

Seiji could think of a lot of reasons why he took as much interest in Shuuichi as he did. He was powerful enough to be of use when Seiji could convince him to work together. He was one of the only people close to his own age he knew who could see yokai, and that was refreshing. Perhaps more than anything, Shuuichi was entertaining. Seeing a promising exorcist appear out of a retired family riled up the weaker exorcists, and their petty anger amused Seiji. It also amused him to watch Shuuichi struggling alone, especially when he carelessly got involved in something too big to handle on his own, giving Seiji a chance to waltz in and save him.

But still, Seiji felt like there was something more he was missing. He thought about it while lying in wait one summer day by a forest path Shuuichi regularly used on his way home from school, but Shuuichi came to the spot before he could think about it much deeper. He didn't even need to wave or say anything before Shuuichi noticed him this time.

“What do you want?” Shuuichi looked really grumpy today.

“Hello, Shuuichi-san.” Seiji made sure to smile wide. “It's been so long since I last saw you I started to wonder whether something had happened to you.”

“So you had to come check on me personally? Do you really have that much free time?” Hearing Shuuichi ask that, Seiji thought that could a factor too. He had too much free time, so, bored and restless, he spent it chasing any half-way interesting person or yokai. Seiji would argue that it was still a productive use of his time, and today too, he had another reason to talk to Shuuichi.

Seiji followed after Shuuichi, who was already continuing on the path the way he had been going. There was actually a yokai Seiji was looking into now, and he had heard that Shuuichi had been helping a group of exorcists who had run into it. He asked after Shuuichi's recent work, and although Shuuichi only answered reluctantly, he was eventually able to get the information he sought. One of the other exorcists, not even Shuuichi, had been able to completely exorcise the yokai he was looking into, so it had been just been another weakling, not up to his expectations. At this dead end for Seiji, the conversation stalled, and in the silence, he studied Shuuichi.

He was seeing Shuuichi's summer uniform for the first time today. He happened to be glancing over Shuuichi's bared forearms when he noticed the yokai living in Shuuichi's skin poke its head out of his sleeve. It really was mysterious, although less interesting than Shuuichi himself. Seiji hadn't heard of anything quite like it before and hadn't found much more through research. Last he had heard, it seemed Shuuichi hadn't found out any more useful information about it either.

The yokai only revealed about half of its body before it turned back around, going up Shuuichi's arm towards his shoulder. He briefly caught sight of it again between strands of hair stuck to Shuuichi's neck with sweat, but it soon went down his back. For all Seiji knew, though, it might have gone to his chest or anywhere else already. Seiji could see that Shuuichi was wearing a T-shirt underneath his uniform shirt, but he wondered if he'd be able to see the yokai through the white uniform shirt if that were the only layer. He found himself wondering if he would ever have the chance to watch its path about Shuuichi's body unimpeded, without having to struggle to see through anything.

“Would you stop staring at me? It's—” Shuuichi said as he turned around to look at him and then stopped walking. Seiji hadn't been conscious of staring at him, although he supposed he had been. A yokai living in a human's body was a curiosity, so of course he was interested in it.

“What?” Seiji asked. Shuuichi had obviously been in the middle of saying something else before stopping abruptly, but now he was just squinting hard at Seiji's face. Maybe past him? No, Seiji would have noticed first if something were coming up behind them. Shuuichi hadn't bothered putting on the glasses he sometimes wore, but Seiji knew there was no real problem with his vision. Shuuichi had been staring at him for so long that it started to feel weird.

Without saying anything else, Shuuichi started moving purposefully towards him. Seiji took a step back reflexively, but before Seiji could figure out what was going on, Shuuichi caught him, grabbing his shoulders. Suddenly Shuuichi's lips were on his. He wasn't sure if it was a wave of heat that ran through him or a cold chill or both.

“Oh.” So of all the reasons why he could want to spend time with Shuuichi, it was this. He had a crush on Natori Shuuichi.

He had never let himself seriously think about dating anyone before. The other kids at school kept a distance from him, and he preferred it that way, blind and ignorant as they were to the world he saw. He had thought he might marry some girl some day, probably one from an exorcist family, preferably of high spiritual power, but those had all been distant thoughts, of some day, in the future, with a hypothetical person. How much would exorcist politics matter when, if he married? Could he just date someone in his position? These were questions he hadn't answered yet, had barely even asked.

“Um,” Shuuichi started, drawing Seiji's attention back to the present moment. He had zoned out while processing what was happening, and in the mean time, Shuuichi had stayed in front of him. He was blushing and starting to fidget, but his hands were still on Seiji. Seiji didn't mind this. “I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that. Are you okay?”

Seiji had been shocked, but he could think fast. He had studied all his life to be decisive and come out on top in situations like this. “I'm fine.” He relaxed his face back to a smile. “I'm fine, but are you so lonely that you'd reach out to me, of all people? I guess at least it's better than the fools who turn to yokai for companionship.”

“What!?” Shuuichi blustered and took his hands off of Seiji. Seiji felt inexplicably disappointed about the loss of Shuuichi's hands on his shoulders. He thought he may have pushed a little too far, yet in his eyes, Shuuichi shined when pushed. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Seiji deflected.

“The way you were staring at me earlier, you... You like me, don't you?” Shuuichi probably hadn't managed to sound half as confident as he had wanted to. Hearing him say it out loud, though, Seiji had to admit, at least to himself, that he was right. 

“ _You_ kissed _me_ , though,” Seiji said with a smile. Why had Shuuichi kissed him? He was far too nice to be mocking Seiji, but that left the possibility that he was attracted to him back. It would be unwise to openly admit his own feelings before confirming Shuuichi's.

“That was... I... You...” Shuuichi started, but kept giving up. It was answer enough for Seiji.

For the first time, Seiji had to question if he might have underestimated Shuuichi. He had tested him when they first met and found him to be below him in both natural spiritual ability and knowledge. In this area, though, it seemed like Shuuichi was more knowledgeable than him, considering that he seemed to have figured out his feelings before Seiji himself had. He knew that both humans and yokai always wanted something, but at some point he seemed to have forgotten to apply that to himself. He had thought that his own motivations would always be obvious to him.

Shuuichi pulled him into an embrace, and finally finished his thought. “Fine, I like you. You like me, too, don't you?” Why was this such a strange feeling? Shuuichi, and being in his arms felt so, so warm, and Seiji only now realized how much he craved this warmth. It should have been too hot, but it wasn't. Most yokai were cool by human standards, but he had gotten used to that temperature instead.

Seiji decided. He could use this affection Shuuichi had apparently developed for him. If he was going to have one youthful dalliance before his responsibilities completely took over his life, Shuuichi would make as good a partner as any.

“Yes, I like you too, Shuuichi-san,” Seiji answered, returning the embrace.


End file.
